Infinitely Losing My Edge
Yeah, I'm losing my edge.
I'm losing my edge.
The kids are coming up from behind.
I'm losing my edge.
I'm losing my edge to the kids from Tonga and from Lagos.
But I was there.
I was there in 1970.
I was there at the first Onyeabor show in Enugu.
I'm losing my edge.
I'm losing my edge to the kids whose footsteps I hear when they get on the decks.
I'm losing my edge to the internet seekers who can tell me every member of every good group from 1965 to 1971.
I'm losing my edge.
To all the kids in Portland and Philadelphia.
I'm losing my edge to the art-school Jakarta kids in little jackets and borrowed nostalgia for the unremembered nineties.
I'm losing my edge.
I'm losing my edge.
I can hear the footsteps every night on the decks.
But I was there.
I was there in 1973 at the first Television practice in a loft in New York.
I was working on the marimba sounds with much patience.
I was there when Robert Palmer started up his first band.
I told him, "Don't do it that way. You'll never make a dime."
I was there.
I was the first guy playing Japan to the disco kids.
I played it at the 40 Watt.
Everybody thought I was crazy.
We all know.
I was there.
I was there.
I've never been wrong.
But I'm losing my edge to better-looking people with better ideas and more talent.
And they're actually really, really nice.
I'm losing my edge.
I heard you have a compilation of every good song ever done by anybody.
Every great song by The Happenings. All the underground hits.
All Morten Harket tracks. I heard you have a vinyl of every Essential Logic record on German import.
I heard that you have a white label of every seminal jazz hit - 1985, '86, '87.
I heard that you have a CD compilation of every good '70s cut and another box set from the '70s.
I hear you're buying an arpeggiator and a theremin and are throwing your macbook out the window because you want to make something real. You want to make a Vladislav Delay record.
I hear that you and your band have sold your oboe and bought a rhodes.
I hear that you and your band have sold your rhodes and bought an oboe.
I hear everybody that you know is more relevant than everybody that I know.
But have you seen my records?
Symarip,
Michelle Simonal,
Sexual Harrassment,
Ajijia Myrayebe,
Duran Duran,
Whodini,
The Birthday Party,
Boogie Down Productions,
The Cramps,
Johnny Clarke,
Black Sheep,
Fat Boys,
Todd Rundgren,
Mary Jane Girls,
Lightning Bolt,
Popol Vuh,
Fela Kuti,
Marc Almond,
10cc,
Bad Manners,
The Doobie Brothers,
Fluxion,
Underground Resistance,
Gil Scott-Heron & Brian Jackson,
Erasure,
London Community Gospel Choir,
Dr. Dre and Snoop Doggy Dog,
Joy Division,
In Retrospect,
Tears for Fears,
Adolescents,
Eric B and Rakim,
Flamin' Groovies,
Patti Smith,
Janne Schatter,
Quando Quango,
EPMD,
Drexciya,
David McCallum,
Major Organ And The Adding Machine,
Howard Jones,
Thinking Fellers Union Local 282,
The Real Kids,
De La Soul & Jungle Brothers,
The Star Department,
OOIOO,
Trumans Water,
Amon Düül,
Essential Logic,
Arab on Radar,
The Vogues,
the Fania All-Stars,
The Doors,
Kango’s Stein Massive,
Alton Ellis,
Dead Boys,
Echospace,
Ice-T,
T.S.O.L.,
the Human League,
Little Man, Little Man, Little Man, Little Man.
You don't know what you really want.
You don't know what you really want.
You don't know what you really want.
You don't know what you really want.
You don't know what you really want.
You don't know what you really want.
You don't know what you really want.
You don't know what you really want.
You don't know what you really want.
You don't know what you really want.
You don't know what you really want.
You don't know what you really want.
You don't know what you really want.
You don't know what you really want.
You don't know what you really want.